Twice-Fried Meatballs and Château Lafite Rothschild
A classic dish in Shandong cuisine, twice-fried meatballs are regularly featured in family meals, as the ingredients are easily available and the cooking process is relatively straightforward. Fresh pork belly is finely minced to provide a balanced texture. Adding egg whites, cooking wine, fine scallion and ginger pieces with spicy bean sauce (doubanjiang), the minced meat is then rigorously mixed together with the marinade. This seemingly simple step is crucial in making good meatballs. Only well mixed mince can be cooked into succulent meatballs, likewise crispy on the outside. Raw meatballs are fried until medium-well in wok with heated frying oil which is just below the boiling point. The meatballs are ready when they are floating on the surface of the oil. After being removed from the oil, the meatballs are quickly stir-fried again in a sauce made with rice wine, scallion and ginger. Meatballs fried twice in this manner are crispy and delicately charred outside as well as juicy and tender inside. The king of the Bordeaux left bank, Château Lafite Rothschild, matches excellently with pork dishes. The pronounced structure of cabernet sauvignon and the rich body of merlot make the wine a great choice to pair with the meatballs. Autumn 2015. Austin Zhang